Johannesburg, South Africa — The Uganda High Commission in Pretoria has officially launched the Southern Africa Tourism Roadshow in Johannesburg, signalling the start of a week-long series of engagements aimed at enhancing tourism cooperation, expanding trade partnerships, and strengthening regional market linkages across Southern Africa.
The Roadshow brings together national tourism authorities, leading travel trade professionals, media, and private-sector stakeholders for business-to-business workshops, product showcases, cultural exchanges, and targeted networking sessions across six cities. The Uganda delegation will make stops in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Gaborone, Windhoek, and Harare to promote Uganda and deepen cross-regional tourism collaboration.
Speaking at the launch, Uganda’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Amb. Paul Amoru welcomed partners and underscored the strategic importance of Southern Africa as one of Uganda’s fastest-growing complementary tourism source markets.
“The region has demonstrated strong traveller interest, high spending patterns, and demand for premium wildlife, adventure, and multi-destination experiences,” he noted. “The Roadshow provides a timely and practical platform to increase visitor flows, deepen commercial and cultural ties, and facilitate structured engagements between Uganda’s Destination Management Companies and the Southern Africa travel trade.”
Amb. Amoru added that the Roadshow will feature workshops, media briefings, and experiential showcases aimed at enhancing Uganda’s visibility, improving destination knowledge, and supporting the development of market-responsive tourism products.
He emphasised that Uganda’s presence in six cities reflects a long-term commitment to coordinated tourism marketing, improved connectivity, and mutually beneficial regional cooperation.
He also highlighted the broader economic and diplomatic value of the initiative, noting that tourism remains a major driver of employment, foreign exchange generation, and community livelihoods. He said strategic partnerships forged through the Roadshow have the potential to create a sustainable impact across the region.
Representing South African Tourism, Ms Bontle Madiba commended the Uganda High Commission for championing a well-structured, trade-focused regional initiative. “There is a growing importance of intra-Africa travel, and South African Tourism will support initiatives that promote collaboration rather than competition among African destinations,” she said.
She encouraged tour operators and tourism boards to develop multi-country itineraries, cross-regional packages, and joint marketing campaigns that showcase Africa’s diversity and collective strength. Ms Madiba observed that Uganda’s Roadshow embodies the kind of continental partnership needed to elevate Africa’s global tourism footprint.
The event was coordinated by Afrireps Consult, the agency appointed by the Uganda High Commission to manage logistics and trade mobilisation for the Roadshow. Afrireps reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the High Commission in strengthening market access, building trade linkages, and amplifying Uganda’s presence in the Southern Africa region. The agency highlighted the importance of regional collaboration, multi-destination circuits, and co-created itineraries as critical drivers of Africa’s tourism competitiveness.
The Johannesburg launch marks the beginning of a week of strategic engagements designed to stimulate tourism growth, expand market presence, and deepen cooperation between Uganda and Southern Africa. The initiative is supported under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Economic and Commercial Diplomacy Program.
The Uganda High Commission expressed its appreciation to all trade partners, tourism boards, private-sector operators, and media representatives backing the Southern Africa Tourism Roadshow.